Article

2016-03-22 China-Japan-Koreas

Vessel Carrying Plutonium Departs Japan Port for US

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2016-03-22 15:52|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top

#1 If one could build an explosive shell around a 730 pound plutonium core how big could the bang be?

Posted by Glenmore 2016-03-22 16:10|| 2016-03-22 16:10|| Front Page Top

#2 You will never get a 730 lb plutonium core because it would be critical before you assemble it. Better to have the classic fission booster, followed by a can made of plutonium, with a center cylinder of plutonium, filled with lithium deuteride (the classic spark plug for fusion).

Posted by Alaska Paul 2016-03-22 17:33|| 2016-03-22 17:33|| Front Page Top

#3 OK, but what if you made the Plutonium subcritical pieces 3-D spherical pie shapes to slam together - could that make a big boom?

Posted by Glenmore 2016-03-22 19:43|| 2016-03-22 19:43|| Front Page Top

#4 Liberian Flag? Philipino/Indonesian crew?

Posted by Shipman 2016-03-22 19:49|| 2016-03-22 19:49|| Front Page Top

#5 The Nagasaki bomb converted about 1 gram of the plutonium to energy. The spontaneous fission depends on how much plutonium 240 is in with the plutonium 239 as 240 is very unstable. The Nagasaki plutonium core weighed 6.2 kilograms. The reason for the low effectiveness is the speed at which the reaction occurs blows apart most of the fissible material before it can react. The effectiveness has increased since WWII, It is still only about 1 in 3000. The uranium bomb dropped on Hiroshima was a bit less than 2% efficient, in other words 2% of the uranium was converted to energy.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2016-03-22 20:11|| 2016-03-22 20:11|| Front Page Top

#6 Gee, remember that missing NKor mini-sub?

Posted by Skidmark 2016-03-22 21:26|| 2016-03-22 21:26|| Front Page Top

23:53 Zenobia Floger6220
23:48 JosephMendiola
23:43 JosephMendiola
23:27 JosephMendiola
23:02 gorb
23:00 Woodrow Borgia3397
22:58 Threamp Flack4233
22:49 Whuger Dingle9191
22:41 Spomock Gurly-Brown7353
22:39 Mad Eye Angolurong5086
22:33 Vernal Oppressor of the Chinese8749
22:26 Unomoper Squank1009
21:50 gorb
21:34 Glenmore
21:27 Frank G
21:26 Skidmark
21:25 Frank G
21:23 lord garth
20:57 Jack salami
20:35 Blossom Unains5562
20:28 AlanC
20:11 Deacon Blues
20:06 Shipman
20:04 Shipman